Johann Gottlieb Goldberg facts for kids
Johann Gottlieb Goldberg was a super talented musician from Germany. He played the harpsichord and organ, and he also wrote music. He lived a long time ago, during the late Baroque and early Classical music periods. He's most famous because a very well-known piece of music, the Goldberg Variations by J. S. Bach, is named after him. He was probably the first person to play it!
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A Young Musical Star
Goldberg was born in a city called Danzig (now Gdańsk) in 1727. We don't know much about his early childhood. But everyone knew he was an amazing musician. When he was about 10 years old, a very important person noticed him. This was Hermann Karl von Keyserling, who was the Russian ambassador to Saxony.
Goldberg likely studied with both J. S. Bach and his oldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. He might have started learning from J. S. Bach around 1737. He could have studied with W. F. Bach any time before 1745. W. F. Bach lived in Dresden, where Keyserling was ambassador.
The Famous Goldberg Variations
The most famous story about Goldberg probably happened in 1741. J. S. Bach's biographer, Johann Nikolaus Forkel, wrote about it in 1802. Count Keyserling often had trouble sleeping. He asked Bach to write some music for his young musician, Goldberg, to play. This music would help him pass his sleepless nights.
Goldberg was only about 14 years old at the time. He was an incredibly skilled harpsichord player. This skill made it possible for him to play such difficult music. Bach wrote a set of variations just for the Count. These became known as the Goldberg Variations.
Forkel's story says that the Count loved the music. He would often ask Goldberg to play "his variations." Bach was very well rewarded for this work. The Count gave him a golden cup filled with 100 gold coins!
Some people wonder if this story is completely true. It might have been made a bit more exciting by Bach's biographer. However, Goldberg was definitely a very talented player. He worked for Count Keyserling at that time. He was also likely in Leipzig, where Bach lived. This is because some of Goldberg's own music sounds very similar to Bach's. Many experts think they had a teacher-student relationship.
We know Goldberg was in Leipzig because we have copies of his music from that time. One example is his cantata, Durch die herzliche Barmherzigkeit.
Later Life and Passing
Goldberg stayed with Count Keyserling until about 1745. Then he disappears from history for a few years. Around 1750, he appeared in a concert. In 1751, Count Heinrich von Brühl hired him. Goldberg worked for Brühl for the rest of his short life. He sadly died from tuberculosis when he was just 29 years old. He was buried in Dresden in 1756.
Goldberg's Musical Works
Goldberg's own music is not as famous as the Bach piece named after him. But his works show many different musical styles. He lived during a time when music was changing a lot.
Early and Later Styles
His early music sounds similar to J.S. Bach's. This suggests that the story of him studying with Bach might be true. His later works show that he also liked the popular music of the Dresden court. This included the "galant" style, which was lighter and more graceful.
Some of his last pieces, especially his concertos, are very complex. They use interesting harmonies, like the music of Bach's son, Carl Philipp Emanuel. Goldberg probably wrote these for the musicians working for Heinrich von Brühl. These later works often have syncopation (off-beat rhythms) and chromaticism (using notes outside the main scale). Their melodies also have a wide range.
Types of Compositions
While he was a student of Bach, around 1745–46, he wrote cantatas. One example is Durch die herzliche Barmherzigkeit, a church cantata for a special day. He also wrote six trio sonatas. One of these was once thought to be by Bach!
Goldberg also composed music for the keyboard. This includes 24 polonaises, one in each major and minor key. He wrote concertos for the harpsichord. Sadly, a set of his chorale preludes has been lost.
See also
In Spanish: Johann Gottlieb Goldberg para niños
